After 8 plus years of Republicans in Congress wishing and wanting to repeal the Affordable Care Act because it was not their idea and besides, they wanted huge tax breaks for the wealthy on the backs of this nations poor, are apparently on the verge of getting their wish.

I was crazy to think that the millions that were spent on implementing this act would some how save it but, I was stupid. I forget that Congress is like a quote from the movie Forrest Grump; “stupid is as stupid does.” Nothing that Washington does is for the betterment of the citizens or this country. “Make America Great” is the biggest load of crap that has ever been served up to the people of the USA. This is not and never will be about making this country great. Its all about getting “your people” in power to rape and plunder this country to grow their own wealth and continue to get reelected year after year. If you think that this current administration of idiots and billionaires are going to make your life better, than you are just as crazy as they are. But, keep believing all the lies and false news coming out of Congress, the administration, and Fox News and let me know when your personal life has improved.

I know that all Republicans believe in “trickle down economics” and the millionaires and billionaires that you keep providing tax breaks for are laughing their way to the bank every time Congress and the President enact a bill that makes them richer or provides more tax breaks. The middle class is shrinking due to this form of economics and it is not the “upper class” that is swallowing them up. But, you voted for someone to look out for you that does not care a crap for you. He would rather going golfing every weekend in Florida at a national cost of $ 10 million each and every week. But keep the faith because it is all about winning and absolutely nothing about making you or me great again.

But, let’s see all the things that this great narcissistic talking head has achieved in the short time that he has declared himself, :the one and only.”

a wall on out Mexican border…not built…not paid for by Mexico, …cost could easily run over $ 25 Billion. If a company owned by Trump builds it… it could easily triple in price.

has jumped in bed with the Russians to open up the Arctic to oil exploration and accumulate more wealth for himself.

attacked the news media (except those that are far right) just like most dictators and a former disgraced President.

uses smoke and mirrors and slight of hand to keep everyone off balance and guessing.

But, take heart all you lonely people, because you have created a god made of gold to worship above all else, and he looked down on those that worshipped him and smiled because he thought that he was the one and only true prophet, because he was all-knowing and never makes a mistake.

I am back because our beloved country is under direct attack from within. A person who lives in his own reality has taken over the leadership of this country and his continual lies have replaced the facts. He complains of so called “fake news” that is supposedly being put out by the media, whom he has labeled as the enemy of the people. When, in fact, it is him and his minions that lie and exaggerate and “explain” about anyone or anything that is the truth.

His narcissistic, grandiose personality just makes it worse. In his eyes, he is the best in everything he does and he needs that constant affirmation from others to boaster his ego. Why else does he need to hold political rallies after he is already elected other than for affirmation. His whole life has been one in which he has made himself to be the center of attention and his entire family supports his inflated ego. He is a compulsive liar and uses falsehood and made-up reality to inflate that ego.

Just a few examples… his inauguration crowd could not be smaller than Obama’s so he inflated the numbers and claimed that the media somehow doctored the pictures of the crowd taken from the top of the Washington Monument. Throughout his campaign, every time that he has misspoke about something, his minions have stepped forward on television to tell the American people what he “really” meant. As if, to cover-up his mistakes. He inflates the number of votes that he got, the margins of victories, and claims that there was wide spread voter fraud with no proof. If there was any voter fraud, perhaps it was on his side, since he was the victor..

It is a concerted effort to cloud the public with smoke and mirrors. To boaster his claim of issues with illegal terrorists coming into this country, he claimed yesterday that something happened in Sweden the day before. The only thing that happened was the sun came up that morning after. There was no terrorist attacks or “massacres” occurring like his minions continue to report. Put aside your political beliefs, quit watching Fox news exclusively, and start thinking critically about what is being said. Do not take for gospel what the talking heads are saying on TV or on far right-wing radio as the truth. Get both sides of the story and than make an informed decision on what is true and what is not.

Also, why is it, that, only the far right threaten their opposition on the left with threats of violence, when we chose to not agree with them. We on the left or in the middle do not make threats of violence, but this administration’s foundation is based on fear and intimidation. They claim that they are strong believers in the Constitution, but only when it applies to them. They want to take away people’s right to choose, but God forbid you take mine. Example, abortion and the resulting loss of life of innocent babies is wrong, but do not touch my right to my Second Amendment rights that allow nut-jobs and fanatics to go around killing hundreds of men, women, and children. Oh, that is right, you do not believe that anyone died at Sandy Hook Elementary and it was a plot by the left to stop the sale of assault type weapons.

So, if you like what you read here, stay tuned for more. Like my father always said, your word is your bond, the truth will set you free, and a liar is hiding more than just the truth.

I am back because our beloved country is under direct attack from within. A person who lives in his own reality has taken over the leadership of this country and his continual lies have replaced the facts. He complains of so called “fake news” that is supposedly being put out by the media, whom he has labeled as the enemy of the people. When, in fact, it is him and his minions that lie and exaggerate and “explain” about anyone or anything that is the truth.

His narcissistic, grandiose personality just makes it worse. In his eyes, he is the best in everything he does and he needs that constant affirmation from others to boaster his ego. Why else does he need to hold political rallies after he is already elected other than for affirmation. His whole life has been one in which he has made himself to be the center of attention and his entire family supports his inflated ego. He is a compulsive liar and uses falsehood and made-up reality to inflate that ego.

Just a few examples… his inauguration crowd could not be smaller than Obama’s so he inflated the numbers and claimed that the media somehow doctored the pictures of the crowd taken from the top of the Washington Monument. Throughout his campaign, every time that he has misspoke about something, his minions have stepped forward on television to tell the American people what he “really” meant. As if, to cover-up his mistakes. He inflates the number of votes that he got, the margins of victories, and claims that there was wide spread voter fraud with no proof. If there was any voter fraud, perhaps it was on his side, since he was the victor..

It is a concerted effort to cloud the public with smoke and mirrors. To boaster his claim of issues with illegal terrorists coming into this country, he claimed yesterday that something happened in Sweden the day before. The only thing that happened was the sun came up that morning after. There was no terrorist attacks or “massacres” occurring like his minions continue to report. Put aside your political beliefs, quit watching Fox news exclusively, and start thinking critically about what is being said. Do not take for gospel what the talking heads are saying on TV or on far right-wing radio as the truth. Get both sides of the story and than make an informed decision on what is true and what is not.

Also, why is it, that, only the far right threaten their opposition on the left with threats of violence, when we chose to not agree with them. We on the left or in the middle do not make threats of violence, but this administration’s foundation is based on fear and intimidation. They claim that they are strong believers in the Constitution, but only when it applies to them. They want to take away people’s right to choose, but God forbid you take mine. Example, abortion and the resulting loss of life of innocent babies is wrong, but do not touch my right to my Second Amendment rights that allow nut-jobs and fanatics to go around killing hundreds of men, women, and children. Oh, that is right, you do not believe that anyone died at Sandy Hook Elementary and it was a plot by the left to stop the sale of assault type weapons.

So, if you like what you read here, stay tuned for more. Like my father always said, your word is your bond, the truth will set you free, and a liar is hiding more than just the truth.

I am sure that many of you out there are just as sick of listening to the different news sources as I am. The problem is not that it is not the news as much as it is a theatrical performance of talking heads that spew out this continued rhetoric of gloom and doom with punctuation remarks about what separates us and continues to divide us.

We were a strong and proud nation at one time, but we have allowed our country to be torn apart by the very people supposedly elected to look out for our best interests. The only interests involved in today’s society is all about the individual and how can I make more money, so that I can continue to buy cheap, but inferior products from foreign countries. We as a nation have been sold down the river by our politicians and we have become a nation divided.

You turn on the television or read the newspaper, or even hear it from your own siblings. If you do not agree with me, than you are wrong, stupid, and you are the enemy. There are many issues and beliefs that divide us and the politicians in the states and in Congress continue to point these differences out and the hate-filled dialogue that goes with it serves no purpose, but to keep the flames of hatred fanned.

So, instead of focusing on what can we do collectively to unite and improve this country, it is all about presenting and strengthening my own personal agenda. We hear that the middle class is disappearing and we have become a nation that cares more about me, rather than the “other” guy. In the past, people looked out for each other and I remember that while I had one set of biological parents; I also had 15 other sets of parents looking out for me and every other kid in the neighborhood when I was growing up.

So, you need to stop and rather than dwell on those issues that divide us as a nation, we should be receptive about our differences and try to work to get past them. If we do not demand a change in our way of thinking and agree to work together, we will remain divided and we will follow the course of every country that put their personal wants in front of the collective needs of the country.

The history books are full of examples. The famous Roman Empire at one time covered most of the known world as they knew it, at that time. But while its collapse occurred over the course of time, many experts will tell you that the main reason for its downfall was the disintegration of political, economic, military, and other social institutions. Sounds pretty similar to what we are seeing today.

Authorities say they have identified 23 victims of a Washburn, North Dakota man who will spend the rest of his life in prison for sexually abusing children.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland on Monday sentenced Travis Guenthner 39, to a life term on two counts of coercion or enticement. Guenthner will serve concurrent 30-year sentences on five counts of sexual exploitation of minors. Judge Hovland also ordered Guenthner to pay a $700 special assessment and $1,865.18 in restitution for one victim’s counseling.

Guenthner pleaded guilty in November to the charges as part of a plea agreement in which counts of receipt of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors and possession of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minor were dismissed.

U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon said the case sends a message to parents to talk to their children about who they talk to online and how to react if someone asks for inappropriate photographs or contact. Parents long have been concerned about what could happen when their children leave their homes, but there may be more risk in what happens behind their bedroom doors. “Every predator in the world now has access to that kid (through the Internet),” he said.

After the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Delorme explained Guenthner’s various means of contacting young girls online. He would pose as a teenage boy in some cases and request photographs from girls. In others, he would pose as a female modeling agent and offer to send a male photographer — himself — to take photographs of girls. Sometimes, he used a pseudonym to ask for the images.

Guenthner told Judge Hovland he would go on http://www.tagged.com and start combing through profiles of 13- to 14-year-old girls and work his way through age ranges, sending out messages in his various manners.

One of the recent disclosures led to the recovery of a Minnesota girl whose mother is alleged to have taken sexually explicit photographs of the girl under Guenthner’s direction. Delorme said Guenthner has not been indicted yet in the case, though the mother was arrested.

Of the known 23 victims, Guenthner had coerced 12 into providing him with nude or sexually explicit images of themselves, six had produced such images and also were sexually assaulted by Guenthner, and five were sexually assaulted by Guenther.

After viewing some of the files on Guenthner’s computer and also understanding how sexual predators operate, it is impossible to believe that Guenthner had only 23 victims.

Prosecutors in the case decided to stick to the plea agreement, which called for him to recommend no more than a 50-year sentence for Guenthner, despite his feeling that it was the “worst possible case, as far as child sexual exploitation, this court has ever seen.

The case came to light through two investigations in 2013 — one on behalf of Homeland Security Investigations and one by Bismarck Police Detectives.

After a Mandan girl reported a man had been soliciting her for nude or sexually explicit photographs through a website, Bismarck detectives created an undercover persona, a 14-year-old girl, and went on the same website. Guenthner began soliciting their false persona and arranged to meet the girl in Bismarck. Local police arrested him at the meeting place.

In the Homeland Security Investigations case, a Wilton woman reported that a woman had been soliciting her 17-year-old daughter for sexually explicit or nude photographs with a man whom the woman would line up.

Investigators in the cases found images of child pornography on several electronic devices belonging to Guenthner and began investigating the files. Some were of downloaded pornography. However, others appeared to have Guenthner’s hand, as identified by a tattoo, and some contained women’s hands.

Guenthner identified one woman as Michelle Laducer, also known as Michelle Griffin. Laducer told investigators she complied with Guenthner’s requests to take photographs of a Rolla girl. Guenthner told her he would give her $200,000 to arrange for him to take sexually explicit photographs of the girl, though she never received money. Guenthner sexually abused the girl in the summer of 2012 at the “Desert” south of Bismarck.Laducer of Rolla, was later sentenced to 30 years in prison for her role in the case.

Investigators also identified another girl in the photographs as a Devils Lake girl with mental disabilities. In addition to a federal charge referring to the girl, Guenthner also faces a Class B felony charge of gross sexual imposition in Ramsey County related to the same girl. A warrant has been issued for his arrest in that case, and he has not made any court appearances in the matter. Additional charges are pending on outstanding cases and more cases are expected to come to light.

What is so unbelievable was that this guy was able to convince some parents and other adults to become active participates in his sexual exploits either through the promise of money or fame and fortune through promised modeling photo shoots and careers as models. So, if he was able to convince adults over the internet, just how many underage girls were also convinced to send explicit photos or to even meet with him? I would guess that this is not his first rodeo and that there are probably hundreds of victims or potential victims out there that we are not aware of. And truth be told, if his memory is sketchy…it is because he is only remembering those case that the authorities know about or that there are so many victims, that he cannot remember them all. We have no idea just how long he has been prowling the internet.

Some people should just not have children. I often read stories of brutality of one person against another and it is often times shocking, but when crimes are against children it becomes doubly unbelievable. When your treatment of your own children comes in to place and that treatment or lack of results in a child’s death, it is an unspeakable horror.

A North Dakota woman, whose 13-year-old son died weighing just 21 pounds, sometimes locked the boy in a dirty bedroom filled with trash, a detective testified Thursday during a hearing where a judge determined she would stand trial on murder and other charges.

Judge Gary Lee heard testimony and arguments from attorneys in Minot before deciding the state had more than met the burden of proof necessary to try the 35-year-old Jessica Jensen, of Kenmare, for one count of murder, one count of neglect or abuse of a child and one count of failure to report the death of a child. Jensen has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

State Medical Examiner William Massello said in his autopsy that Jensen’s son died from chronic starvation due to untreated juvenile appetite disorder. He listed the manner of death as homicide.

Jensen’s attorney, Bob Martin, argued that she neglected her son’s untreated medical condition but did not deliberately starve him and should not be charged with murder.

For more than an hour, prosecutor Kelly Dillon interviewed Detective Laura Forbes, an investigator whose answers painted a detailed picture of the living conditions in some areas of Jensen’s house and the alleged mistreatment of her middle child. Forbes said Jensen told the detective that she had at times locked her son in a bedroom on the second floor of her home.

Forbes testified that both windows in the bedroom were covered in black plastic and were boarded up with plywood. She said the room was filled with trash, that the room smelled of feces and urine and that food was splattered across the walls.

Court documents show Jensen had homeschooled her children since 2009. Detective Forbes said investigators found few educational materials in the home; everything they found fit in one paper grocery bag full of books.

Detective Forbes said they also found a Kindle reading device that had several books about child abuse on it. Detective Forbes said that when she saw the body in the hospital on the night the boy died, she didn’t realize at first that he was in the bed. He was “very thin, only bones with skin on them.”.

Jensen’s mother told detectives that she believed Jensen did not want her son. She also said that after Jensen’s son had died, Jensen allegedly told her mother that “she was at ease.”

Jensen is charged with failing to report the death because authorities contend she waited more than two hours to call police. By the time police arrived, the boy’s body was stiff. Jensen told investigators her son had a hormonal growth problem and that his pituitary gland did not function properly. She said her son would eat and then throw up. But upon investigation, medical records showed that he had not seen a doctor for several years. There was plenty of food in the house and it didn’t appear the family was tight on money.

Jensen didn’t testify Thursday, but sat silent, often looking down at her attorney’s notes. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for September.

To give you some perspective, the average weight of a thirteen old boy is 85 to 100 pounds and an average boy of 1 year weights as much as this child did at the time of his death. And as far as the mother’s contention that he had an eating disorder, I could understand him being somewhat underweight for his age, but that idea does not explain the abuse and neglect. All so, where was family and friends and neighbors, while this was occurring. There were supposedly other children, what about them and why did they not say anything to anybody else. Obviously, that is why they were home schooled.

My wife accuses me of always watch shows on television that she calls M & M shows. The M & M stands for Murder & Mayhem. It is true that I like to watch cop or crime shows and it is probably due to my background in law enforcement and corrections. So, with that in mind, this article caught my attention.

Forensic DNA sleuths may be close to finding the truth behind one of the oldest unsolved missing person’s cases in U.S. history.

The breakthrough will be too late for Marvin A. Clark, who vanished during a trip to Portland on Halloween weekend 1926 and would be more than 160 years old were he alive today, according to a report Wednesday by The Associated Press.

The case has been cold for 90 years but investigators have used modern DNA technology and several online databases to find three great-great-grandchildren on Clark’s paternal side.

They are now working to locate someone on his mother’s side to shore up the results.

Clark was a “well-known” Tigard, Ore., resident who went missing while traveling by bus to visit his daughter in Portland on Oct. 30, 1926, according to The Oregoniannewspaper at the time. He was reportedly between 60 and 75 years old.

A frantic search and a $100 reward — more than $1,300 in today’s money — returned no results, despite police across the Northwest being told to look out for Clark, who was partially paralyzed and had a “hanging gait.”

Then 60 years later, on May 10, 1986 loggers in Portland discovered a skeleton alongside some unusual belongings: a 1888 V nickel, a 1919 penny, a pocket watch, leather shoes, wire-rimmed glasses, a Fraternal Order of Eagles pocket knife, and four tokens with the inscription “D&P,” believed to be tavern tokens awarded in card games and used to buy alcohol.

Police also found a corroded revolver, and an expended .32-caliber bullet. A single shot had entered the skull at the temple. Medical examiners, who said at the time said it was the oldest case they ever had, ruled the unknown man’s death a suicide.

The case went cold again. That was until Dr. Nici Vance, of the Oregon state medical examiner’s office, made the recent breakthrough when she entered Clark’s name into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, a free system used by officials to try to put names to unidentified corpses.

Note: Follow-up: On a recent post, I told about Mr. Byron Smith 65 of Little Falls, Minnesota. He was the man on trial for killing two teenagers who broke into his house with the intent to rob him. He waited in his basement and when they came down stairs he shot them. He was portrayed as a man that, in fact, executed these two thieves. Well, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder after just 3 hours of deliberation. Mr. Smith’s mistake was shooting them close up and being too honest with the police and telling them that his intent was to kill the two invaders. It is a sorry state when the police cannot protect you and neither can you. Remember, this guy’s house had been broken into more than a dozen times and the police never arrested anybody.